Protective helmet

ABSTRACT

A protective helmet having pads disposed therein for distributing and cushioning the head of a wearer from impacts to the outside of the helmet. The pads are formed from spacer cloth arranged in layers having resilient properties for energy absorption of the impact, each pad having segments of nylon fastener tape attached to one side and an open weave cloth covering on the other side allowing free permeability of air. The nylon fastener tape attaches to felt strips contiguously attached within the helmet, by which the pads are mounted in the helmet, allowing for easy replacement.

United States Patent De Simone July 4, 1972 [54] PROTECTIVE HELMET3,518,657 12/1968 Lastnik et'al. ..2/6 [72] Inventor: mm". De Simone,Philadelphia Pa 3,609,764 10/1971 Morgan ..2/3 R [73] Assignee: TheUnited States of America a Primary Examiner-James R. Boler representedby the Secretary of the Navy Attorney-R. Sciucia and Henry Hansen 22 Pld: 27 1971 l l l 57 ABSTRACT [21] App1.No.: 110,198

A protective helmet havlng pads disposed therem for distributing andcushioning the head of a wearer t'rom impacts to :5 the outside of thehelmet. The pads are formed from spacer cloth arranged in layers havingresilient properties for energy [58] Field Of Search"; ..2I3, 5, 6absorption f the impact. each Pad having segments f ny|n fastener tapeattached to one side and an open weave cloth [56] m Cited covering onthe other side allowing free permeability of air. UNITED STATES PATENTSThe nylon fastener tape attaches 10 felt strips contiguously attachedwithin the helmet, by which the pads are mounted in 1 Stapenhtll "2/3 Rthc helmet allowin: for easy replacement 1,483,881 2/1924 Hart 2,619,63912/1952 l-lendler ..2/6 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures)I/ll/IIIIII/IIIIIIII/I/II/[I/IIIIIIII I, l'lfl I |6 z 2la g 2", l3 '(VI! s\\\\\\\\\ 1\\\\\\\\\\\' 2 I40 5b 14b STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENTINTEREST BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates toprotective head gear, and more particularly to a helmet liner incombination with a helmet to form an impact absorbing device.

In present and past helmet designs leather-covered urethane or othertype of foam material was typically used as a means of adjusting thesize and providing load distribution between the head of the wearer andthe outside helmet shell. These foam pads cover a major portion of thehead and, since they are good insulators, heat generated by the wearerbuilds up in the area in contact with his head causing discomfort. Inaddition, due to continuous contact with the wearer's head andcontinuous saturation with perspiration, thefoarn padding disposedwithin the helmet deteriorates, becomes soiled, and loses much of itsenergy absorption capabilities. In order to alleviate these problems,some helmets provide holes through the pads thereby allowing forcirculation and partly alleviating the heat build-up; however, since thefunction of the pad is to distribute load at impact a major portion ofhead area is still necessarily in contact with the leather-covered foamand deterioration of the foam still occurs. Accordingly, it is necessarythat the padding be periodically changed. This adds to field supplyproblems so convenience often takes precedence resulting in a conditionwhere the pads are worn beyond their useful life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the general purpose andobject of this invention to provide a protective helmet having a paddedlining which allows free flow of air at contact areas of the head forpreventing heat build-up. Other objects of the invention are to providehelmet liner pads which have an unlimited service life, and which areeasily removable and launderable.

These and other objects are accomplished according to the presentinvention by providing removable liner pads disposed within the helmetwherein the pads are constructed of multiple layers of plasticspacer-cloth, the number of layers determining the thickness of the padand therefore the required size accommodation. The pads are disposedwithin the helmet by nylon fastener tapes, such as Velcro (tradename)tape, allowing for easy removal and exchange. Since the pad is toprovide both comfort and impact force distribution the use of the nylonfastener tape is adequate as the pads primarily function in compression.The spacer fabric layers are of an open-weave type allowing for freeflow of air thereby avoiding heat buildup and the attendantdeterioration of the pad. Also the pad area is no longer restricted byconsideration of air circulation thus full protection of the head can beaccommodated. The spacer fabric layers themselves are constructed insuch a manner as to elastically resist deforming forces and recover totheir original thickness when the force is removed, thus providing shockattenuation by elastic deformation and at the same time distributing theattenuated shock load over a wide area of the head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 represents an angular view of ahelmet having lining pads disposed therein constructed according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 represents a typical lining pad as viewed from within the helmetof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents an edge view of the pad as mounted in the helmet ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the pad taken along the line 4-4 ofFIG. 2.

2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1 aprotective helmet assembly 10 is illustrated as comprising a helmetshell 11 and liner pads 12 disposed at critical'pressure points thereinfor protecting the head of the wearer. Pads 12 form a resilientlydeformable interface between shell 11 and the head of the wearerattenuating any impacts by maximizing local load distribution. Thus pads12 are constructed according to the invention in a manner describedhereinfor allowing maximum air circulation while providing the necessaryresiliency against impact load.

As shown in more detail in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, each pad 12 comprises innerand outer coverings 15a and 15b shaped to conform to a desired padconfiguration as determined by the head area to be protected and thehelmet design. Covering 15a is preferrably of a porous weave type forallowing free permeability of air. The peripheral edges of coverings 15aand 15b are respectively joined to opposite parallel edges of acontinuous nylon tape 16, whereby an external enclosure is formed. Tape16 is perforated by a number of vent holes 13 along its length allowingfor free circulation of air within the pad 12. Between coverings 15a and15b are disposed layers of spacer cloth 21a, 21b and 21c which can be inthe form of continuous undulated filament matting or of a coarse weavetype such as Uniroyal Style No. 60 l 2. A layer of spacer cloth 22 of afine weave type, such as Uniroyal Style No. 6009, is disposedintermediate cloth 21a and inner covering 15a for providing a fine gridinterface for distributing the load to the head. All materialscomprising pad 12 are preferrably of a relatively inert group, such asnylon, retaining their properties afier extensive exposure to body heatand perspiration.

Each pad 12 is attached to shell 11 by segments of nylon fastener tape14 contiguously attached to the outer surface of covering 15b anddisposed to align with mating strips of fastener pile 23, contiguouslyattached within helmet shell 11, when the respective pads 12 are placedin their desired positron.

Accordingly easy removal and replacement of pads 12 is accommodated withthe attendant facility of adjusting for variations in head size byselecting an appropriate combination of pad 12 thicknesses.

As described above a typical pad 12 is shown including three layers ofcoarse spacer cloth 21a, 21b and 21c, and one layer of fine cloth 22,these being shown for descriptive purposes only as it is contemplatedwithin this invention that various pad thicknesses be made available byvariously combining fine cloth layers with coarse cloth layers. It isfurther contemplated that the various pad thicknesses be so designatedthus providing a repeatable head fitting upon pad exchange.

In operation the wearer initially selects the appropriate combination ofpads 12 resulting in a best fit, and attaches the pads 12 by fastenertape 14 to corresponding strips of pile 23 disposed within shell 11.Upon any accumulation of dirt, pads 12 can be replaced according totheir designators with cleans pads while they are laundered. Theselection of inert materials allows for easily cleaning of the pads andthe construction thereof allows for free circulation of air thus theyare not restricted in their maximum size by the heat build-up constraintthat such an appropriate fit can be obtained within the whole helmetshell 1 1.

Some of the many advantages of the invention should now be readilyapparent. The invention provides a means of distributing impact loadsbetween the helmet shell and a wearer's head which is both comfortableand clenable. At the same time the invention provides load distributionpads which are highly permeable to air allowing for large area coverage.All various accommodations of head shape are contemplated this inventionby selecting pad thicknesses pen'nitting maximum comfort.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teaching. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

. What is claimed is:

l: A protective device for attenuating impacts to the wearer comprising,in combination:

protective shell means formed to surround vulnerable areas of the wearerfor distributing a concentrated impact;

resilient attenuation means disposed Within said shell meansintermediate said shell means and the wearer for attenuating said impactand including a plurality of resilient cloth layers the areas thereofformed to cover the desired area, each layer formed of continuousundulated fila- 5. A resilient force attenuation pad for attenuatingforce ap- 5 plied to a wearer comprising, in combination:

a plurality of resilient cloth layers the areas thereof formed to coverthe desired area, each layer fonned of continuous undulated filamentsand in combination with the other layers forming a compliant area, firstand second memsgand m combination other iayers for-miflg coveringsrespectively adjacent the uppermost and lowercoinpham area first andsecond covenngs respecnve ly most surfaces of said layers, an endlesstape joined at the adjacent the uppermost F lowermost surfacizs of Samrespective edges thereof to the respective peripheries of layers anendless J0me?! at respecuve egges said coverings and fastener tapeattached on the outside thineof to resPecuve penphenes of said covenngssurface of said second covering formed to attach to any said secondcovering fonned to be attached on the outfibrous materiaL side thereofto said fastener tape; and separable attachment means affixed to saidattenuation means and operatively connected to said shell means. 2. Aprotective device according to claim 1, further comprising:

said first covering forming a porous weave permeable to air. 3. Aprotective device according to claim 2, further com- 6. A resilient padaccording to claim 5, further comprising:

said first covering forming a porous weave penneable to air.

7. A resilient pad according to claim 6, further comprising:

said endless tape including a multiplicity of vent openings forpermitting air to permeate therethrough.

8. A resilient pad according to claim 7, further comprising:

the one of said layers adjacent to said first covering being prising:

said endless tape including a multiplicity of vent openings forpermitting air to permeate therethrough. 4. A protective deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein: the one of said layers adjacent to saidfirst covering being formed of continuous undulated filaments woven in atight weave relative to the other of said layers for providing a finegrid interface.

1. A protective device for attenuating impacts to the wearer comprising,in combination: protective shell means formed to surround vulnerableareas of the wearer for distributing a concentrated impact; resilientattenuation means disposed within said shell means intermediate saidshell means and the wearer for attenuating said impact and including aplurality of resilient cloth layers the areas thereof formed to coverthe desired area, each layer formed of continuous undulated filamentsand in combination with other layers forming a compliant area, first andsecond coverings respectively adjacent the uppermost and lowermostsurfaces of said layers, an endless tape joined at the respective edgesthereof to the respective peripheries of said coverings, said secondcovering formed to be attached on the outside thereof to said fastenertape; and separable attachment means affixed to said attenuation meansand operatively connected to said shell means.
 2. A protective deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising: said first covering forming aporous weave permeable to air.
 3. A protective device according to claim2, further comprising: said endless tape including a multiplicity ofvent openings for permitting air to permeate therethrough.
 4. Aprotective device according to claim 1 wherein: the one of said layersadjacent to said first covering being formed of continuous undulatedfilaments woven in a tight weave relative to the other of said layersfor providing a fine grid interface.
 5. A resilient force attenuationpad for attenuating force applied to a wearer comprising, incombination: a plurality of resilient cloth layers the areas thereofformed to cover the desired area, each layer formed of continuousundulated filaments and in combination with the other layers forming acompliant area, first and second coverings respectively adjacent theuppermost and lowermost surfaces of said layers, an endless tape joinedat the respective edges thereof to the respective peripheries of saidcoverings and fastener tape attached on the outside surface of saidsecond covering formed to attach to any fibrous material.
 6. A resilientpad according to claim 5, further comprising: said first coveringforming a porous weave permeable to air.
 7. A resilient pad according toclaim 6, further comprising: said endless tape including a multiplicityof vent openings for permitting air to permeate therethrough.
 8. Aresilient pad according to claim 7, further comprising: the one of saidlayers adjacent to said first covering being formed of continuousundulated filaments woven in a tight weave relative to the other of saidlayers for providing a fine grid interface.